Wednesday, 7 April 2010

Can you believe we're half-way through the week already?! Typical that time flies by when you're off work eh?!

This afternoon I decided that I would be brave...I braced myself and got ready to tackle...the sewing machine. Now Machiney (as I like to call him sometimes) and me haven't seen eye to eye in the past, but I was willing to put that behind me and make amends...well it started so well but ended with me saying "It's not me, it's YOU! *Grrr!*"

Well let me get onto the card first...

This idea popped into my head courtesy of Taylor's Sketch Challenge #107. It's been ages since I've played along with a good ol' sketch challenge so this made a nice change!

I had fun making use of my recent purchase of that Martha Stewart Border Punch (from my trip the other weekend) I'm planning on making a cute set of cards with that baby if time slows down a little!

So you're left wondering...what's so wrong with the stitching?! Well the running stitch around the edge went OK...though I confess I did it without using the pedal and just by turning the wheel with my hand (otherwise Machiney just goes waaaaay too fast and things end up really wonky!). But the problem starts when trying coax Machiney into doing a ZigZag stitch. Machiney is really temperamental, sometimes he just happily zig zags away but mainly he doesn't. I find the underside of my stitching is an OK zig zag stitch but my top layer looks like this:

Hmmm not too zig zaggy to me :o(

So believe it or not I held my layer of card to the window and with a pencil managed to draw a line where I wanted the zig zag stitch to be and then ran my cardstock underside up through the machine (does this make sense?!) and it came out wit an OK zig zag stitch where I wanted one!

Obviously this isn't the best solution and it only works if I can draw a guide on the underside of my project! Is it me? Is it machiney? Are we just destined to be apart? If anyone has any pointers I'd really appreciate them! Oh and machiney is a John Lewis own brand one but pretty much identical to the Janome Mini Sew.

Anyways enough of my battles, I've survived round one, just not sure if I want to enter round 2 LOL!

Aimes,You are so funny, I am sat here typing this and chuckling away.I have a similar problem with my machine - no matter what I do the stitch never works properly, I think it's probably got something to do with the tension but I can never put it right - Good Luck, I've almost given up and hand stitch most things now.The card is gorgeous by the way and all the hard work paid off.Take Care Hun - Ju xx

Yay!! You are stitching!!! My guess is tension as well...I had a little Singer Pixie last year, but it was terrible...returned it and bought a real Sewing Machine...never looked back. Love the little birdies and patterned paper...yes! You have to get the Pretty Pastels...I'll guarantee you won't be disappointed :)

Cool card. I would try to adjust the tension. My Janome has problems with the zig zag stitch sometimes too. I have been told it is a common problem with them. Don't give up though. The more you sew the easier it will get for you.

love that card, but dying b/c i've been avoiding getting that punch and now you're showing me it is needed!

i've been sewing now for 35 years. your tension just needs adjusting. when the bobbin thread pulls up at the to like yours is it means your top tension is way too tight. there's a dial inside the blue portion of your sewing machine - just turn it down. step it down 1/2 setting at a time and test it out on scrap papers until you're happy with it.

extra tips: use scrap papers of the same weight that you plan to use in your finished project. (some papers are thin, others are heavier like cardstock, and chipboard is really heavy).

also, while you're playing with tension settings, use a different color thread in the top and in the bobbin - will tell you right away if your top tension is too tight (bobbin thread pulls up to the front of the piece) or too loose (top thread pulls down on the back of the piece).

keep a notebook handy and write down the tension setting for different paper combos - then you won't have to start from scratch every time: just refer to your book, set the tension, and test on scrap paper to be sure it's ok. if not, it'll usually just be a minor, half-step adjustment.

Oh I love this card! Great sketch! As for your sewing woos, I'm right with you there. Sometimes my machine works and sometimes it does not. Practice on scrap card stock before using your piece for a card! Good Luck!

Hi Amy! Thanks for participating in the TESC107 sketch challenge! I LOVE your card and have selected it as one of our Top Crops this week! And I think your sewing is fabulous...I love that you call your sewing machine "Machiney"... too funny! You can check out the announcement here: http://tayloredexpressions.blogspot.com/2010/04/tesc107-top-crops.html

Here's a link to the Top Crops badge if you'd like to display it on your blog: